James c



(No Model.)

J. G. COSS.

BUGGY TOP. No. 468,460. Patented Feb. 9, 1892.

Witnesses,

X QJM Z\V%[WZ v UNITED STATES PATE T OFFICE.

JAMES C. COSS, OF MANSFIELD, OHIO, ASSIGNOR TO THE COSS COMPANY,

Y OF SAME PLACE;

BUGGY-TO P.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 468,460, dated February9, 1892.

' Application filed August 31, 1891. Serial No. 404,242. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES C. COSS, a citizen of the United States,residing at Mansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio,

have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Buggy or CarriageTops; and

I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invcntion, which will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to buggy or carriage tops; and the object of theinvention is to construct a top in which the usual front bow isshortened and arranged in such manner as to be practically out of theway of persons entering and alighting from the buggy or carriage. Asbuggy-tops have been constructed heretofore the forward bow extendeddown on either side to make connection at the side of the nextsucceeding bow, and from that point run forward in such inclinedposition as would carry the front of the top forward far enough toshelter the occupants of the buggy; but in 2 5 making this connectionandin extending the bow in the manner thus described the how was in theway of the person in getting into and out of the buggy and was anobstruction and source of annoyance and inconvenience.

I have conceived of a construction and arrangement of parts whichobviates this great objection to bu ggy-tops and which enables me toconstruct a top which will allow the same cover to be used as heretoforeand which 3 5 will aiford the same shelter and have all the advantagesheretofore obtained and at the same time avoid the objectionable fronttube or bow, thus making it easy to enter and to leave the buggy so faras the top is concerned. To these ends the invention consists in abuggy-top in which the front bowis attached 'to the next succeeding bowat a suitable elevation above the extremities of the bow and in suchposition that the front tube is raised 5 and out of the way of theperson entering the buggy, all substantially as shown and described, andparticularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of aset ofbows for a carriagetop, broken'oif at their upper and bent portion, andof part of abugg -body, so as to show the relation of the bows asconstructed to the said body. Fig. 2 is an enlarged edge view of thejoint at which the extremity of the front bow is attached to the nextbow in the rear; andFig. 3 is a detailed view of the pin or staple towhich the front bow is pivotally connected and which enters the otherbow, as seen in Fig. 2.

A represents the buggy-body, and it will be understood that this bodymay be of any fashion or style that taste may dictate, it beingimmaterial for the purpose of this invention what form or style of bodyis used, the bodybeing illustrated in this instance more especially toshow the relation of the bows in which myimprovement appears to a bodyof well-known style.

The bows are represented by letters B, C, D, and E, the usual number ofbows being employed, and the construction of the'cover and its method ofattachment and everything connected with the top being the same as it wefiler be in the ordinary top. Usually the front bow 7 5 is connected tothe bow D in substantially the same manner as the bow B is connected tobow O, and the pivot-points of the several bows at either side areclosely assembled at their lower extremities at the seat; butin or derthat a truly convenient buggy-top may be made without radical change inthe construction of the top I have found that by shortening the frontbow E and bending it at about the point marked e, so as to carry theends back at a more or less angle to the bow portion, and connecting thesaid ends to the bow D about midway of its elevation, I can keep thesame cover and attachments generally as before and yet remove the saidbowE from an 0 obstructing position. To the end that this may be done, Iemploy a suitable rivet 0r pin F, which is driven through the bow D, andsecured therein by riveting, so as to prevent drawing out, and make theattachment of the 5 tube or bow E directly to this rivet or pin. In theconstruction herein shown I have formed the pin or bolt F with acircular fiat head, corresponding to the head of the slat-iron E, andthe two heads are united by a common pivot :00 connection. By using therivet F, as shown, the bow or tube D is not materially weakened and thepivot-point for the tube Eis brought directly at the center of the bow,where it should be. Either the half-joint rivet-head shown or itsequivalent in construction may be adopted. It will be seen that therivet-pin F istapered from its head to its point, so that when driveninto the how it will be firmly seated therein. rivet-pin passing throughthe bow a sufficient distance to upset its extremity outside of the bowand form a securing-rivet thereon, the rivet-pin is prevented fromturning because the engaging portion of the rivet proper conforms to thecircular surface of the bow. This could not occur if a nut were usedinstead of a rivet-head. In this way the said pin is prevented fromturning in the bow and the front bow is held firmlyin its rightposition. Again, this construction brings the front bow centrally infront of the center of the next bow and avoids spreading it at the endsto the side of the next bow, as is the case when a side fastening ismade. The enlarged flat head of the part F forms a bearing for theslat-iron E of such width that there can be no play of the front bowfrom side to side, the rivet-pin being securely held in the bow .D.

Having thus described my invention, what I Then by reason of thesaidclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a buggy or carriage top, the short front bow having its slat-ironformed with a wide flat bearing-face, in combination with the nextsucceeding bow formed with ahole I centrally from front to rear and atapered rivet-pin driven into said hole and having a head with a fiatface to which the slat-iron of the short front bow is secured and thesaid pin secured on the back of the second how by riveting against therounded surface thereof, substantially as described.

2. In carriage or buggy tops, the bow D, having an opening centrallythrough-the same from front to rear, and a rivet-pin F, driven into saidopening and riveted against the back of said how and having a flat headat its front end, in combination with a short front bow E, havingafiat-faced slat-iron secured to the head of rivet-pin F, substantiallyas described.

Vitnessmy hand to the foregoing specifification this 10th day of August,1891.

JAMES C. COSS.

Witnesses:

WM. A. CASTNER, W. H. BoWERs.

